Frugal Christmas Gift Ideas for Hands-on Learning Fun

Summary: Unique and frugal hands-on educational gift ideas for your kids, and some of us moms, too.  Fun #handsonlearning gifts for kids and middle schoolers. This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our  own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy. #homeschoolgifts

Do you love hands-on learning for your kids?  I gathered together my favorites for hands-on frugal gift ideas for your kiddos.  And they are educational, too.

1.  Hands-on Frugal Fun Art and Crafts Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Young Artists

For your kids who love art, above are a bunch of ideas for all kinds of art activities, great for those on school break during December.

These ideas are not just for littles.  There are many for older kids and middle schoolers, too.

2.  Hands-on Frugal Science Fun/Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Young Scientists

Hands-on Learning is the best way for kids to learn scientific concepts. 

Included in this list are lots of science kits, box subscriptions and more that will teach your kids about the scientific method and more. 

These are such fun for any of your kids who love to experiment and try hands-on fun science activities. Plus they can serve as part of their science curriculum easily.

Would you like more fun ideas for homeschooling through the holidays?  My friend, Vicki has a lot them right here - Homeschooling Through the Holidays.

3.  Encouragement for Moms

Are you thinking about homeschooling your teen through high school?  How about some encouragement for that.

I wrote this book to support and help other high school moms who come after me, which is on SALE for the Kindle version at only $3.99 for Black Friday, Cyper Monday, etc.

Homeschooling High School with College in Mind - 2nd edition

Read for FREE on Amazon Prime

"Betsy has a wealth of understanding and knowledge to share with the parents of college bound homeschoolers.  She provides support, encouragement and step-by-step advice on all aspects of the homeschool high school and college application process. This book is a must-read for parents considering homeschooling high school and for parents in the thick of the application process."

....From a certified college counselor and mom to 3 homeschooled grads, Lessa Scherrer

Whether your teens are in public school or not, my book on college is full of tips for getting your teen into the college of their choice.

I helped our homeschooled daughter get into each of the colleges she applied to, with scholarship offers.

Included are 17 chapters, written in an approachable tone, to make the whole college admissions process easier.

My book includes 12 high school planning printables, to make your record keeping easy.  For more information, click here - Frugal College Prep for Homeschoolers or to buy it here - my book on Amazon .

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, highschool, 
college, gifted/2e and wrote -Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition,   She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting,  and has had some of her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.

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No spam ever.  
Just encouragement for your homeschool in your inbox.      



Published copyright 2022

All rights reserved.      

Frugal Stocking Stuffers for Homeschooled Teens and Kids

This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our  own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.


Give a gift that keeps on giving this year! I am sharing quality gifts and products made by veteran homeschoolers, to come together to share their best products with you. Each of these was crafted with love to bless your homeschool! 

Are you looking for stocking stuffers for your kids or teens? We have the best list right here!  For all of the kids in your family.

So let's get SHOPPING!

1.  Does your homeschool teen need an elective credit on their transcript?

Would your techie high schooler like to pursue their passions while completing coursework?

Then the Podcast Launch for Teens by Abby Banks is for YOU! Learn tech while making a podcast!

2.  What about something even more techy for your teens?  

Get them engaged in learning with FundaFunda Academy's Introduction to Game Programming.

This is a self-paced class for grades 5 - 12 that introduces students to game programming. They will learn about game design, how to create game graphics and some basic computer logic.

All of FundaFunda Academy courses are creative and innovative, perfect for your teen who wants to explore and learn new things. They will also program an interactive greeting card.

3.  Do you have children who would love to learn to draw?

Unlike most art programs, Beyond the Stick Figure courses are not just a collection of projects, but is actually a course in art techniques.

These core techniques will give your child the confidence and ability to independently create masterpieces.

Join in the fun and do an Art Camp with your family! Just click open, and go.

They have so many fun ways to teach art here!

From our friends at Beyond the Stick Figure.

4.  Do you have young learners who love animals in your house?  

Younger kids will have fun exploring the ocean and learning Spanish as they go.

The Spanish Ocean Animals Printables Workbook by Spanish4Kiddos includes four worksheets for children to practice Spanish terms of ocean life.

Handwriting, fine-motor skills, and reading are all included in the fun!

Grade Level: K. My daughter would have loved this Spanish workbook if it was available when she was a young one.

5.  Or are you looking for something creative for your teen or pre-teen girl?

PERFECT FOR THE CRAFTY TEEN OR PRE-TEEN GIRL IN YOUR LIFE, AND JUST IN TIME for Christmas.

Check out the Super Bundle of Bookmarks and Cute Cards to the left! You know, bookmarks and cards make awesome gifts for Christmas and other occasions. And since they are designed to be printed, cut out and decorated:

The Super Bundle of Bookmarks and Cute Cards would be a perfect gift for a girl in your life who loves to create do-it-yourself crafts!  


6.  Or are you looking for something to build a love of music in your family?  

Music is so important for children and teens, don't you think?

"A Year of Charlotte Mason Music Lessons" by Music in Our Homeschool is an online course that provides you with a gentle way to do music in your homeschool.

Each month you'll focus on two things: Composer Study and either a Folk Song or a Hymn.

7.   Do you have a teen who is may be headed towards college?

How do you help them do that?  Wouldn't it be nice to talk with a mom who has already done that, and already helped her homeschooled grad get into college?  

Betsy did just that. And they put all her best tips and info into a book.

I invite you to check out this book, Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd edition, by an experienced homeschool mama, who helped her daughter get into each of the colleges she applied to, with scholarship offers.

On AMAZON 

Betsy has been homeschooling for over 14 years. All of Betsy's experience will help guide you for homeschooling high school and getting into college college.

She not only helps you homeschool your teen but also makes the process of getting into college EASY to understand.

Her book includes 12 high school downloadable planning printables, to make your record-keeping easy. These high school printables make record-keeping a cinch!"

 And the ebook is 50% OFF! Through December 31st.

Kindle SALE on AMAZON 

Only $3.55!!

Keep your nurturing homeschool style and showcase their  accomplishments to the colleges!   

This book is recommended by: Lessa Scherrer, Certified College Counselor from College Inside Track:

"Betsy has a wealth of understanding and knowledge to share with the parents of college bound homeschoolers.  She provides support, encouragement and step-by-step advice on all aspects of the homeschool high school and college application process. This book is a must-read for parents considering homeschooling high school and for parents in the thick of the application process."  

We all hope that this list of Stocking Stuffers is a help to you and inspires you in your holiday shopping for stocking stuffers --- ones that keep on giving and can be a real help in your homeschooling next year!

May you have a blessed and memorable holiday season with your family. 

And thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, highschool, 
college, gifted/2e and wrote -Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition,   She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting,  and has had some of her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.

Want to stay in touch?

 Pinterest, Facebook 

No spam ever.  
Just encouragement for your homeschool in your inbox if I ever send you an email. I don't.      



Published copyright 2024@BJ's Homeschool

All rights reserved.      

Homeschool Record Keeping is NOT That Hard! - with these Ideas from 5 Veteran Homeschool Mamas

This article is about recording keeping for high school at home, as many families fear doing high school because of the record keeping involved.  Sharing today easy ways to do record keeping from 4 veteran homeschool mamas. Please see my disclosure policy on affiliate links. #homeschoolrecordkeeping #homeschoolhighschool

Keeping records in the early years was very simple in our homeschool.  I just used my homeschool planner to add the notes on what we did each week.  

That came in handy when we did informal annual assessments at the end of the year.  For that, I needed to summarize what we had done to share that with our assessment teacher.

When we hit the high school years, things got a lot more formal...

Frugal High School Art and How to Make it into a High School Credit

Note: This may include affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy 

Do you have a homeschooled teen who is interested in exploring art?  

Or is your teen looking to fulfill their fine arts elective for college admission?  How about doing a video based Art course, taught by a master artist?   

You ARE An Artist, a small homeschool company owned by a veteran homeschooling mom who offers many video art courses in tons of topics and more.  You should see all the choices!!

It is a great way to expand your teen's art skills, using the chalk art medium.  This is a company owned by Trish Hodges, a homeschooling mom of 5.  How did she ever find time to create these lovely courses?

All the courses are taught by a master artist. 

My daughter loved doing their art courses in the afternoons in our homeschool.  For teens, I recommend 3 solid ways to use the video based art courses from You Are An Artist.  And each of these options can give them either 1/2 credit or 1 year long homeschool high school credit in art or fine arts.

Let's start with their art techniques course.

2. Art Techniques Course

One of our favorites is called Art Techniques.  

It will take your teen step by step, through a tour of techniques with Master Artists, from Impressionism to Modernism.

Learning about:

• Impressionism all the way to
• Modernism...

gives your teen a nice introduction to art and various art techniques.

Many art courses require a long list of art supplies, and that can be prohibitive for many homeschoolers on a budget, like we were.  

For You ARE An Artist - Art Techniques all that is needed is a set of chalk pastels and construction paper, no complicated list of art supplies to try to find.

How to Make It into a High School Elective

One way is to use Art Techniques  as a part of an Art History course, or an Introduction to Art course.  It would add a lot to your teen's art history studies.

Tricia offers an easy way through a monthly subscription, frugally to create a complete high school elective in art.

2. You Are an Artist Clubhouse Membership

To make a full year homeschool high school art credit, we recommend adding their You Are an Artist Clubhouse Membership.

This would give your teen access to over $2,000 worth of art lessons, including their I Drew It I Knew It History series and SO much more.  This is a frugal way to do a quality art elective.

Artist Clubhouse Membership.

This will give your art student access to:

• All access to all the art lessons, including ones on famous artists like Vermeer, Warhol, Grandma Moses, Degas...
• Mixing and matching art lessons to relate to other areas of your teen's studies, eg, history, geography, science.
• A special membership community
• Easy access to new art lessons

Click around to check out their other wonderful VIDEO chalk pastel courses.

We loved the Bird Chalk Pastels Art Course that would go along well with your teen's high school science studies.

How to Make It into a High School Elective

To make this into a high school elective, 70 to 90 hours of doing these lessons would give your teen a half credit, which is all that is usually required for their fine arts credit for college.

To earn a whole years credit, doing 140 to 180 hours of work with these lessons will give them a that year credit in high school art.

The Stein family says, 

"Have any of you followed along with these art tutorials before?  She is calm and relaxing.....just like watching Bob Ross!  We are loving our membership.  One of the best things I've added to our homeschool this year!" 

3. Do a Year or Semester of Art

This is their semester 1 video based art course in chalk pastels that includes:

• Step by step instructions
• Techniques for new and advanced artists
• Independent learning for your teen
• FAQs
• Glossary of Art Techniques
• Plus on option to join the You ARE an Artist Facebook Group for sharing art work
• And for asking questions re art projects

There is a spring oriented semester 2 video art course, too for teens who want a complete year long course.

How to Make It into a High School Elective

This is so easy to do!  Doing each semester course equals 1/2 credit.  Completing both gives your teen one whole credit in art or fine arts.

4.  NEW High School Fine Arts Course 

I am so excited to tell you about these new frugal high school fine arts appreciation courses from You are an Artist.

They have launched one, with more to come!

 Here is their first frugal fine arts course.  It is a great way to get your teen's Fine Arts credit done.  

High School Fine Arts Appreciation for a hands-on  approach to Fine Arts, from Tricia Hodge, my good friend.  

This fun and frugal course is correlated to the rhetorical stage of education, and includes:

• Neoclassicism
• Romanticism
• Realism
• Impressionism
• Photography
• Post-Impressionism

What a great introduction to the classics in art appreciation for your teen! Meanwhile, they are earning their fine arts credit, necessary for applying to college.  Did you know that Tricia has already graduated 3 teens from her homeschool?

Are you new to homeschooling high school and wanting some tips for how to plan yours?

After helping my own homeschooled teen get into each of the colleges she applied to, I wrote a high school guide.  

It will give you tips on planning high school plus the college admissions process as well.

On Amazon 

This high school guidebook is an easy-to-read approach to college for homeschoolers, recently updated with 7 NEW chapters, including:

• My own homeschoolers guide to the Common Application
• Where to find college scholarships
• SAT/ACT Prep
• How to make your own homemade course
• Recommended by: Lessa Scherrer, Certified College Counselor from College Inside Track

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, and wrote -Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition.  She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting,  and has had some of her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.

Want to stay in touch?

Subscribe, Pinterest, Facebook 

No spam ever.  
Just encouragement for your homeschool 
in your inbox.

Reference Articles for the Common Application

Summary:  References for the Common Application, plus where to find my guide to the Common Application for homeschoolers.  #homeschooltocollege #getintocollege

Related Articles on the Common Application:

Sample School Report and Transcripts - Khan Academy - Not the up to date form, but this has some good ideas for the School Report

Applying to College - Homeschoolers by Shmoop

Tips for Homeschooled Students Princeton University re Reference Letters

Where is the Homeschool Supplement on the Common Application?  The Well Trained Mind Community

Do you want a step by step guide to the Common Application for homeschoolers?  It is the top feature in my new book!

I have gathered together all my best tips for high school and college and put it into my new book, Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition. 

It gives you everything that you need to plan your high school homeschool for your college bound teen.  Plus how to help them get into the college of their choice.

Amazon for only $11.99

Paperback is on Amazon for only $11.99

This book is an easy-to-read guide to college for homeschoolers, recently updated with 7 NEW chapters, including:

- My own homeschoolers guide to the Common Application

- How to write the Counselor Recommendation Letter

- Where to find college scholarships

- SAT/ACT Prep

- How to make your own homemade courses

-  Included are also 12 homeschool high school planning printables to make your record-keeping easier.

10 easy to do steps to homeschool high school with college in mind. And it really is NOT that hard!!  

This book does not tell you how to homeschool high school.  Instead it gives you guidance for doing it your way!  

Keep your nurturing homeschool style and showcase their accomplishments to the colleges!

Recommended by: Lessa Scherrer, Certified College Counselor

                               from College Inside Track

"Betsy has a wealth of understanding and knowledge to share with the parents of college bound homeschoolers.  She provides support, encouragement and step-by-step advice on all aspects of the homeschool high school and college application process. This book is a must-read for parents considering homeschooling high school and for parents in the thick of the application process."

And help for record keeping!  With my exclusive high school and college planning printables.

For more information, click here - Frugal College Prep for Homeschoolers or to buy it here - my book on Amazon for only $11.99.  

And don't worry about forgetting things!

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, highschool, 
college, gifted/2e and wrote -Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition,   She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting,  and has had some of her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.

Want to stay in touch?

Subscribe, Pinterest, Facebook 

No spam ever.  
Just encouragement for your homeschool 
in your inbox.

Copyright @ BJ's Homeschool 2019

All rights reserved.

How to Homeschool High School with Frugal Curriculum --

Summary:  Are you looking for just one more resource for your high schooler?  Sharing our favorites, why we liked them, with a focus on frugal options.  #homeschoolhighschool #homeschoolhighschoolcurriculum  We may use affiliate links to products that we use or would have used in our homeschool.  Please see our disclosure policy.

Homeschooling has been such a big part of my life.  We are so glad that we homeschooled all the way.  Of course it had it's ups and downs.  But we found it to be rich in benefits for our daughter and for our family.  Especially during the teen years.

The hard part about homeschooling when it comes to the teen years, is that there are so many choice in homeschool high school curriculum...Especially now, with new publishers coming on the scene.

It can be easy to get overwhelmed with the many options out there.  Especially if you are on a budget like we were.

Over the years, we have come to know the homeschooling market pretty well.  We did find a number of frugal options that we love.

Sharing today, our favorites for high school, plus some from our friends, also other veteran homeschool moms, too.  

I hope that this list will help you find what you are looking for.  And I wish you a great year with your high schooler at home.

Note - I mention Switched-On-Schoolhouse a lot in the article below.  We loved it, for many reasons, not the least of which was that it was frugal.  It cost us only around $70.00 for each one year long course.  And we did not find any need to supplement it at all.  

I invite you to read on to hear about many more frugal homeschool high school curriculum options, not just for core courses.  There are many for fun electives as well.

Our Frugal Homeschool High School Curriculum Choices

Do you have a college bound teen?

I have gathered together all my best tips for high school and college and put it into my new book, Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition. 

It gives you everything that you need to plan your high school homeschool for your college bound teen.  Plus how to help them get into the college of their choice.

Amazon for only $11.99

Paperback is on Amazon 

This book is an easy-to-read guide to college for homeschoolers, recently updated with 7 NEW chapters, including:

- My own homeschoolers guide to the Common Application

- How to write the Counselor Recommendation Letter

- Where to find college scholarships

- SAT/ACT Prep

- How to make your own homemade courses

-  Included are also 12 homeschool high school planning printables to make your record-keeping easier.

This book does not tell you how to homeschool high school.  Instead it gives you guidance for doing it your way!  

Keep your nurturing homeschool style and showcase their accomplishments to the colleges!

Recommended by: Lessa Scherrer, Certified College Counselor

                               from College Inside Track

"Betsy has a wealth of understanding and knowledge to share with the parents of college bound homeschoolers.  She provides support, encouragement and step-by-step advice on all aspects of the homeschool high school and college application process. This book is a must-read for parents considering homeschooling high school and for parents in the thick of the application process."

And help for record keeping!  With my exclusive high school and college planning printables.

For more information, click here - Amazon.  And don't worry about forgetting things!

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, and wrote -Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition,   She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting,  and has had some of her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.

Want to stay in touch?

Subscribe, Pinterest, Facebook 

No spam ever. 
 Just encouragement for your homeschool
 in your inbox.

Copyright @ BJ's Homeschool 2019

BJ's Homeschool Disclosure Policy

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Affiliate Program, which is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means where by we can earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliate sites.

We also share other homeschooling resources and curriculum that we used in our homeschool, or would have used in it over the years, as we found it to be of high quality and helpful for educating children or teens at home.

I am not a certified educator.  I do not offer educational assessments.  I also am not a certified college counselor.  I share educational and college prep and admissions information, based on my own experience as a homeschool mom.

I want to be an encouragement to you, the homeschool mama, doing the most important job in the world, raising our next generation. Our kids.